Viet Nam: Cu Chi Tunnels

Viet Nam & Cambodia

So I know it's been awhile since I have posted last but things have been hectic being in port all the time and then coming back onto the ship for classes and now we are in finals week.

For my blog entry I am submitting a copy of my global studies paper that I was required to write for class. These two countries are difficult to write about since I went to such devastating places and learned details that I can not describe in a typical blog entry. So I hope you enjoy my paper.

A Sad Past

The air around me becomes thin and sweat is dripping down my back. Muscles that I didn't know existed are sore from walking in a 90-degree angle. How did the Vietnamese do this a little more than 30 years ago? As we continue along the narrow way, light becomes dim. We must feel around with our hands until our eyes can adjust to the dark tunnels. There it is, finally light, we have made it to the other side of this underground city. We climb the steps, relieved that our five-minute underground tour is over. As we walk along the pathway we come to a display of torture traps that were utilized by the Vietcong to inflict serious pain and life threatening injuries. I imagine falling into the sticking trap and having the four spikes pierce my skin as I am then forced to balance on a round platform to prevent the spikes from doing more damage. Then I imagine walking into the rolling trap where two wheels of multiple spikes impale several parts of my body as I crash to the bottom. One will never understand the feeling of seeing an American soldier's picture of him falling into one of these horrendous traps to his torturous death.

The Cu Chi tunnels gave everyone a perspective of the war that I don't think any of us were prepared to see. We have always viewed war from the American side, never the opposing. The tunnels and the weapons were on display, almost like a theme park. You could even buy bullets to shoot out of guns that were used during the war, causing an eerie echo of gunfire throughout the surrounding jungle. Crawling through the tunnels I was reminded of rides at a carnival. And just like the end of all rides at Disney World, this war theme park had gift shops all over selling various Viet Nam souvenirs. The way the Vietnamese choose to memorialize this time in there history is unique and quite personally, I find it bizarre.

The War Remnants museum also gives us another perspective of the war. Throughout the three stories of the museum, war crime photos and descriptive literature line the walls.  In every photo American soldiers are portrayed as tall, muscular and tough, or in other words bully's. Whereas, the Vietnamese soldiers are portrayed as short, small and weak. Throughout the museum the heinous war crimes and effects of Agent Orange are depicted through brutally graphic photos as well as a pair of conjoined fetuses in a preservative container where many gathered.  The atmosphere in the museum was astoundingly depressing. You feel as though all eyes are on you, the American, walking through the museum seeing the genocide your people inflicted on the Vietnamese civilization.

In Cambodia, a mass genocide occurred as well. On our trip we learned about Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge Regime and how they murdered over two million people out of a population of 8 million.  Comparable with the Holocaust, certain types of people were targets for the brutality of Pot's Regime. Doctors, lawyers, and any degree-holding citizen was arrested, kept in brick cells where they were chained to the floor with shackles, and abused. The prisoners even had the ability of committing suicide taken away from them through barbed wire, which lined windows and balconies. All of this took place at S21, a high school that was converted into a concentration camp-like prison that the arrested individuals were kept in. Today, the walls are lined with photos of all the people that were victimized through this horrible time.

Upon coming to the Killing Fields I was instantly thrown back into the state of mind I was in while viewing the Cu Chi tunnels and the War Museum in Viet Nam. An overwhelming sadness over took me as I pondered the events that occurred in these fields a mere 30 years ago. In the middle of the fields lies a seven-story glass memorial which houses thousands of skulls that have risen out of the mass gravesites that cover the land we were walking on. Today, skeletal remains and clothing still rise out of the ground due to erosion. The almost too-polite sign hanging on this building says it all: "Would you please kindly show your respect to the many million people who were killed under the genocidal Pol. Pot Regime." Apparently the killings at one time became so consistent and problematic to the point that the Khmer Rouge had to install a speaker system in the trees to play ominous music so the citizens in the surrounding areas did not hear the horrendous noises the victims were making. Cambodians memorialize this traumatizing event in their history by somberly preserving the significant sites of this part of their countries history, by remembering the victims that's lives were taken during this troublesome time.

The pain and loss that the countries of Viet Nam and Cambodia have suffered through is inconceivable to most Americans who have never experienced similar events and cannot grasp the concept of such brutality. I feel tremendous sorrow for the families who have lost loved ones and who have had to overcome many challenges throughout their lives that deal with war and their countries government. Seeing these two countries and hearing about their violent past, has forever changed me. I will try to never look at things and take them for granted because in the blink of an eye it could all be gone. Hearing about the history of these countries in global studies is completely different than actually seeing where these traumatic events took place and speaking to the people who have been affected.  I have realized that the classroom can only try and prepare you for real life. However, seeing things in person will help your overall understanding an affect you on a more personal level than a textbook or a lecture ever can.

 

 

Dublin & Guinness

Two weeks after my trip to Edinburgh, and after a visit from my best friends from home, I finally made my way to Dublin! Ireland was definitely one of the top places I wanted to visit while I was over here, so I was so excited I had the opportunity to go. Now, my only problem with Dublin was the fact that when I picture Ireland, I think of rolling green hills and huge open spaces of land. Dublin? Not so much! It really just felt like being in London! If I ever have the opportunity to travel to Ireland again, I'm definitely going to go to Galway or Cork- somewhere that doesn't look like a huge city. However, this doesn't mean that Dublin isn't a great city, because it really is a lot of fun and the Irish are some of the loveliest people I have ever met. Dublin is relatively small, which makes it convenient to get around everywhere.

My favorite part about the trip was visiting the Guinness Factory. As everyone knows, Guinness is a pretty big deal in Ireland, so I knew I would have to make the trip. The factory itself is located in one of the more industrial areas of the city, so it's kind of tricky to find. As soon as I walked through the doors, I knew I was in the right place. The factory is massive and contains everything related to Guinness you could possibly imagine. The self-guided tour winds your way around the factory and gives you the story of Guinness from its humble beginnings and shows you firsthand how it is made. It's incredible how much work goes in to making the perfect pint.

The brewery itself was founded in 1759 by Arthur Guinness, who leased it at 45 pounds a year for the next 9,000 years. That's a pretty good deal in my opinion! Although it is no longer the largest brewery in the world, it is still the world's largest brewer of stout. The main ingredients in the beer are water, barley, hops, and yeast. The storehouse, which is the 7-floor museum of the history of the company, is in the shape of a huge Guinness pint glass that could hold over 14 million pints. That's a lot of Guinness! The final floor of the museum is the Gravity Bar, which is a restaurant that offers a 360 degree panoramic view of the entire city. You could see for miles!

As a part of the tour, everyone got the opportunity to pour

the perfect pint of Guinness.

Those who work at the factory take this very seriously and basically consider it an art form. You first have to hold the glass at a 45 degree angle and begin to pour the pint. When it is filled a little more than halfway, you have to slowly turn the glass upright and then let it sit for a few minutes. After it sits, you move the tap in the opposite direction and fill it all the way to the rest of the top until it is almost pouring over. Perfection. Every person had to go up individually while the workers and everyone else in your group watched you try to pour a pint. No pressure or anything. I can now say I am the proud owner of an official Guinness certificate that says I poured the perfect pint. Success.

Dublin is also home to 2 incredible cathedrals that are absolutely massive. I visited both St. Patrick's cathedral and Christ Church cathedral, and they were absolutely gorgeous. St. Patrick's cathedral was founded in 1191 and is designated as the National Church of Ireland. The cathedral was not open to the public the day I went, so unfortunately I didn't get the chance to see the inside!

Overall, Dublin was a great trip and the Irish definitely lived up to their reputation for being some of the kindest people around. I'm hoping to go back one day and explore more of the countryside. After Dublin I headed to the other side of Europe for some gelato and gondola rides. Ciao Venice!

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." -St. Augustine

I have been traveling around Europe the past 4 weekends, visiting a number of new places I have always wanted to go to! Traveling is so much easier and cheaper over here, so it's hard to only stay in one place!

My first trip was to Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh is an absolutely gorgeous city and the whole city looks like a page from a medieval fairytale. The gothic architecture transports you back in time, leaving you feeling as if you are in another world. Edinburgh is also one of the most haunted cities in Great Britain and it has a number of huge, old, creepy cemeteries spread around the city.

One of the most famous is Greyfriar's cemetery, and it has been featured on the TV show "Scariest Places on Earth." Needless to say, it was unsettling to walk through this cemetery, even during the day! Ironically, Greyfriar's served as the inspiration for many of the names of the Harry Potter characters because JK Rowling began writing the books right in Edinburgh. Some of the characters I found were McGonogall and Tom Riddle. Also located in Greyfriar's is the Flodden Wall, which is one of the original walls that surrounded the city centuries ago to protect it from foreign invaders.

Caught up in the scary ghost stories, my friends and I decided to put on our brave faces and go on a ghost tour around the city. Edinburgh had one of the worst outbreaks of the Black Plague and thousands of people became infected and died because of it. Since so many people died in such a short amount of time, there was not enough room to bury all of the dead. Mass graves can be found underneath the entire city- even today. Our tour guide, an elderly old woman dressed in a long black cape, also explained that this is why Edinburgh has so many hills- yikes. The ghost tour mainly took us around the Royal Mile- you could call this essentially "downtown" Edinburgh. It is lined with shops and restaurants all filled with stories and secrets from the city's dark past. As we winded through dark back alleys and forgotten passageways, the terror really started to set in. We ended our ghost tour in the city's catacombs. Luckily for us, there is a particular ghost who haunts these catacombs, terrifying tourists and warning them to get out. Our guide explained how many different incidents that have happened down in these dark tunnels and told us a countless number of stories of people who have had encounters with the supernatural while on ghost tours like our very own. It was the longest hour and a half of my life, but we made it through unscathed!

The next stop on our list of things to see was The Elephant House. This restaurant was made famous by JK Rowling because it was where she first started writing the Harry Potter books! I had always heard that the original restaurant had been replaced by a Chinese place, but I am happy to report that the Elephant House is where the magic began! A charming little restaurant, the Elephant House is decorated with different, yep you guessed it, elephant decorations and other tribal images. The inside is incredibly small, but I highly suggest their mocha coffee if you ever get a chance to visit!

I also traveled to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is the Queen's official residence in Scotland. My friends and I also went to a whiskey distillery and learned all about how Scottish whiskey is made. Overall, Edinburgh was a great place to visit and I absolutely loved it! It is such a unique city to be in because it is filled with so many dark stories from the past, but at first glance you would never realize it. I would love to travel back there one day! My next stop? Dublin!

 

 

    

     

Cochin, India

Wow…. India has been by far my favorite cultural port so far.

My original idea of India was that it was going to be really hot, smell, extremely crowded, and dirty. However, it was some of these things but completely different as well.

My first day in India was spent on an FDP for my Global Marketing class. We went to a fisherman village. I didn’t really have high hopes for this trip because mainly every FDP I’ve been on up until this point has been disappointing.  We arrived to a town and proceeded to board canoes with chairs that looked like they were decorated for a wedding. We rode these to the other side of the backwaters and explored another village where we were greeted with fresh coconuts to drink. After arriving, we were taken into the village where we were shown the process of making rope from coconuts. Basically they take the hair from the coconut shells, soak it in water for 3-4 months and then take the hair out, pound it with rocks, drain the water from it and then proceed to take it to another part of the village where they will string it together.  After stringing the hair together, it is placed in a wheel where they weave 3 pieces together, and then ultimately string those with other pieces and make a giant rope. The entire process is very time consuming and requires many of the villagers to make it. We then also saw how they weave baskets, and run their fishing operation.

In the river, women set pots on the bottom, leave them sit for a while and go back later in the day and retrieve them to have them be filled with shrimp and usually one to two fish.  If they would like to catch more fish, they use their hands.

However, inside the village there were fish farms as well.  We were able to see the fishing process with the use of nets as well as the crabbing process. They farm mud crabs there, which are mainly exported to Singapore as well as other Asian countries.  After we stopped at the village, we were taken to a place for lunch where we ate traditional Indian food and were entertained with traditional dance. After the village, we rode auto rickshaws to the busses. This was an experience, racing down the horrible roads of India, passing every car possible, going up on sidewalks and almost hitting pedestrians just to get to the busses first. It was so much fun yet highly dangerous. We then went into another village where we were invited into one of the fisherman’s homes. We apparently saw one of the nicer homes. We walked into the living room where there were two plastic chairs and a religious mantle that displayed their Roman Catholic beliefs. Viewing this house was the first time that I have really appreciated things for what they actually were instead of viewing them from an outsiders point of view. When we look at countries that are much poorer then we are and have lower living standards than we posses, we feel sympathy. Yet there is such a sense of community and love in these villages that materialistic things mean nothing to them. Plus this is all that they know, so they are content with their living situations. When we toured the house and saw that there was only one bed for five people, to be honest, it was a bit of a shock. However, the kids were sitting there playing with bouncy balls and were enjoying themselves and paid no attention to the fact that not everyone can rest comfortably at the same time.  In the US we might have lavish items but many of us do not know all of our neighbors or have been there to help them when they needed something. We lack this sense of community that poorer countries have as well as the familial values.

On my second day in India I flew to New Delhi. My thought was this is going to be the real India, the one that I have been preparing myself for months now. Even before we left the ship, cardboard was taped to the carpet to protect it from all the dirt and filth that India is known for. I was a bit worried. However, when we arrived, we walked out of the airport, the weather was a perfect 80 degrees, there was no smell, and there were not as many people as I expected. While driving around Delhi, we learned that the city is the second most polluted city in the world next to Mexico City. However, they are also one of the greenest cities in the world. Apparently at the start of the new century, the government passed laws in Delhi making it illegal to cut down trees with out permission and mass public transportation is legally required to run on biofuel in an effort to start working on the pollution problem. Delhi is a beautiful city, everything is so colorful and the people are very friendly.

First, we took a city tour, went to the India monument, which was built in memory of all of the soldiers that lost their lives in war.

On the third day, we took a train to Agra. The train station was an experience. The smell was awful because people tend to go to the bathroom on the train tracks. We even had people go right in front of the large group of us. There were rats everywhere and even cows. According to Hindu belief, certain Gods take on the guise of animals, one being the cow and the rat and many others. During the train ride, we had the chance to see the poverty conditions in India and they are severe. People go to the bathroom anywhere and everywhere. Apparently there are certain areas for men and other areas for women outside. However, because women cannot show their bodies, they are only permitted to go to the bathroom outside during the nighttime. Yet houses do not possess indoor plumbing.  People’s houses are falling apart, some live in huts, shacks, or even buildings with three walls and a thatch like roof. Also, trash is everywhere away from the main city. There are dogs running loose all over the place, everything is malnourished including the cows and camels and all these animals seem to be sick and some have serious mange. The pollution also, increases as we travel further away from Delhi. As the sun rises, you can see the pollution like a fog as it is like a paste on the horizon into the sky.

Arriving in Agra is a rude awakening. We get off the train and are walking to the buses. It seems like every person with a physical deformity in India was waiting by the busses to beg for money. Also, children were coming up to us in flocks begging for money and food. Many of us gave them our left over food from the train as well as our water bottles that were given to us. These children needed it much more than we did. It was extremely hard to see this and then go and eat lunch at a five star hotel. It seemed like we were being sheltered from the real India and being put into the tourist India. We were told that many people would never make it through their entire stay if they were to see the real India because of the poverty, malnutrition, and physical deformities of the residents. You see how helpless these people are in Northern India and want to help them but you can’t. It’s definitely a wake up call again how lucky we are to have everything that we do at home. I did not see much of this in Southern India because Kerala, where the ship was docked, is one of the wealthier areas and posses a 98% literacy rate.

After viewing some monuments and lavish tombs we finally get to the part of the tour that I have been waiting my entire life to see, the Taj Mahal. Pictures do not do this structure justice. It is beautiful and the story behind it even more so. The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan, the emperor of India in 1631, in recognition of his 3^rd and favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to their 14^th child. You cannot look at this structure in nothing more but awe. Some say it is the most symmetrical building on earth. However due to the increasing threats of acidic rain, the Taj has been turning yellow. Because of this, the government has made certain environmental restrictions within a 4000-mile radius surrounding the Taj to help with this problem. You also cannot drive up to the structure; you must walk or take an electric bus to get there. Another impeding threat to the Taj Mahal is the Yamuna River to the north of the structure is drying up and causing the wood to rot that holds up the structure. Some believe that the Taj Mahal will begin to collapse in the next five years or so. During our time at the Taj, we also witnessed the call to prayer two times. It plays over loud speakers and calls believers of the Hindu religion to stop what they are doing and pray. The call to Prayer consists of repetitive mantras, usually telling one to be healthy, live a full life and to best evil.

Later on in the evening, we catch a flight to Varanasi, better known as the holy city for Hinduism, Buddhism as well as Jainism. It is the oldest city in the world proven at 5000 years old but believed to have been around for many years before.  Jerusalem on the other hand the holy city for Christianity, Judaism and Islam has been proven to exist for over 3000 years. Varanasi is completely different from anything that I have seen in my life. The city is so crowded. To paint you a picture, it’s like New York City on New Years Eve only in tiny streets the size of alleys. These streets need to fit the thousands of people who walk all over the place, cows, dogs, and cars that constantly are beeping and trying to go through all of the people. Auto rickshaws, rickshaws, bikes and motorcycles attempt to weave their way through traffic as well. There are so many people walking through these streets that once you go so far, vehicles and even bicycles are prohibited. Everything is dirty and there are cows at every turn. We are definitely in the holy city now. There are people in groups heading to the ceremony at the Ganga (Ganges River). We are getting closer now to the river, you can hear all the people praying. You also hear music in the distance and bells being rang. We see a platform that is lit up with men who will demonstrate the prayer. Everyone is singing a lot and you have a spiritual feeling over come you even if you are not a believer. These people come here every night to worship the gods that they believe in. People from all over come here many times a year whenever they can. People from all over India pilgrimage to get to the river and walk for weeks just to take part in this evening ceremony and then wake up early to bathe in the Ganga. Witnessing this ceremony was something special. There are no words that I can think of to describe what we saw and how it made us feel.

At sunrise, we board boats that are going to take us up the Ganga to witness the morning rituals that people take part in. Some come to meditate, for when the sun rises, it is the best time to make your mind and spirit become one. Others come to bathe in the Ganges and wash away their sins and pray to the gods. Hinduism is such a powerful religion that most believers fuse their religion with every task that they take part in and make the nightly ceremony and the sunrise walk down the Ghats (stairways that’s lead to the river) and into the Ganga to take part in the morning prayer and bathing, a part of their daily routine. Experiencing this was amazing and very special that these complete strangers welcome us with open arms to take part in and witness an act that is so sacred to them. As we continue down the river, we are told that we cannot take any more pictures because we have arrived at the cremation site. Up on the hill, there is a platform that houses the eternal flame. Varanasi is the only place in the world where cremations can be done 24/7 and on the same day as the person passes away. There is a whole ritual done before a body can be buried. They must be submerged in the river so many times and must be blessed so many times and then they are cremated on a platform next to the river. The ashes are then scattered into the Ganges. This ritual must be done so the reincarnation process ceases and the person can reach nirvana. If families are not wealthy, many times they will wrap their deceased loved one in a burlap sack and put them in the river. Hindu’s also believe that if a cow dies, they should be put into the Ganges and then the people should drink the water from around the deceased cow. Because the cow is sacred as well as the water in the river, they believe that nothing will happen to them.

My overall experience in India was awe-inspiring and culturally uplifting. I have never felt so centered before and spiritually moved, especially in a place of a religion I do not practice. However, on another note, the food was amazing. Some a little too spicy for my liking but naan is delicious and I cant wait to go to an Indian restaurant when I get home just to have this bread. The people were amazing and so inviting and just overall incredibly friendly and helpful. The only downfall to India was seeing the amount of poverty that they have and constantly being begged to give them money or food or water when we had nothing on us. It makes you feel utterly helpless. I can’t wait to go back and explore the other parts of the country that I was not able to see in my short time there.

Fun Facts:

-India has over 800 languages

-Each town you go into has there own language, culture, food, and style

-1.2 billion people live there

-Mumbai has 18 million people

-Delhi has 16 million people

-The color of the buildings change from town to town

-North India is significantly different than South India

-Field Hockey is their national sport (but hardly ever played)

-The Rupi is their currency and the exchange rate is 50R-$1, however you would never know this because we were ripped off everywhere we went to buy things.

-Auto Rickshaws or Tuck-tuck’s are the main form of transportation